1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an inflation mechanism for an inflatable vehicle seat belt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inflatable seat belts are known. An inflatable seat belt is inflated by inflation fluid from an inflation fluid source. The inflation fluid is typically passed through one or more conduits to an inflatable portion of the seat belt to inflate the inflatable portion.
The seat belt is typically a part of a seat belt system that includes a tongue assembly engageable with a buckle. The prior art shows various mechanisms for passing inflation fluid through, or past, the connection between the tongue assembly and the buckle.
The present invention is an apparatus for helping to protect a vehicle occupant. The apparatus comprises a vehicle seat belt system including a buckle, a tongue assembly, and an inflatable seat belt portion connected with the tongue assembly. An inflation mechanism connected with the buckle includes an actuatable inflator and a first conduit in fluid communication with the inflator. A second conduit is in fluid communication with the inflatable seat belt portion. The first conduit has a rupturable portion blocking fluid flow out of the first conduit toward the second conduit. The first conduit, upon actuation of the inflator, moves from a first position in which the first conduit is not in fluid communication with the second conduit to a second position in which the first conduit is in fluid communication with the second conduit. The rupturable portion is ruptured to enable fluid flow from the first conduit to the second conduit to inflate the inflatable seat belt portion.